15 May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

This is a much more enjoyable letter to write to families now that we know that students are gradually returning to the classroom not too far down the track.  So that you have time to take in all of the information I have put together timeframes and changes to school for the rest of Term 2, as we know them at the moment.

Thank you for all your support during these past few weeks of remote and flexible learning, you have all been amazing.

Following advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has advised that schools can begin a phased return to on-site schooling.

Stage One

In the first stage, students in Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2, senior secondary (Year 11 and 12 VCAL and VCE) students and all students in specialist schools will return to school from Tuesday 26 May.

Year 10 students undertaking VCE studies, including VCE VET studies, should also attend school for those classes where practicable. If this is not possible for your child/children, our teachers will make sure the work provided to students attending at school is also provided to your child/children.

To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25 May will be a pupil-free day.

Stage Two

In the second stage of our return to on-site schooling, all other year levels will return to school from Tuesday 9 June.

For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of on-site schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26 May to Tuesday 9 June. The current process that we are using to enable parents and carers to indicate the days or part-days for which on-site schooling is required will continue for this two-week period.  Please follow these rules because we will have significantly less staff for on-site supervision.

All other students in these Years 3 – 10 will continue learning from home until Tuesday 9 June.

Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to on-site schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.  This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact us so we can make an appropriate plan.

This same approach is being taken by all government schools in Victoria.

To support the health and wellbeing of all our students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand washing.  If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.

While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice. This will apply until further notice. I will provide more detail about our local school context as soon as possible, but it is important to note that changes will include:

• staggered pick up times will apply for students in Prep – 3.00pm, Year 1 – 3.10pm and Year 2 – 3.15pm. Further details from the P-4 Campus will be sent out next week.  When picking up and dropping off, parents are encouraged to use the Woods Road Kiss and Drop area and to remain in their vehicles.  Please do not drop students off earlier than 8.30am.
• restrictions on access to the school site for anyone other than immediate school staff and students;
• the way we conduct parent-teacher meetings and interviews.

We understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.

More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the Department’s website, which will continue to be updated:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/coronavirus.aspx

FAQ’s

To assist families, I have also created a Frequently Asked Questions document that outlines areas that are relevant for you please click here to direct you the FAQ page.

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming our students back to the classroom.

Kind Regards

Damien Keel

College Principal